Technical Abstract:
A better understanding of the molecular genetics of muscle growth will be useful in developing catfish germplasm with improved growth and meat yield. BAC clones and cDNAs were sequenced for channel catfish myogenin, myoD, and follistatin. Myogenin has 3 exons encoding a protein of 278 amino acids with 83 % and 62 % identity with zebrafish and human myogenin proteins, respectively, and is located in channel catfish linkage group U23. MyoD has 3 exons encoding a protein of 269 amino acids with 81 % and 41 % identity with zebrafish and human myoD proteins, respectively, and is located in channel catfish linkage group U14. Follistatin has 5 exons encoding a protein of 312 amino acids with 70 % and 64 % identity with zebrafish and human follistatin proteins, respectively. A sixth exon for follistatin, present in mammals, has not been identified in channel catfish. Channel catfish myostatin (sequence reported previously) was assigned to channel catfish linkage group U16. Expression patterns for channel catfish and sequence for other Ictalurid catfish species for these genes are being determined. Future studies will focus on relationships between these genes and muscle growth, and association of gene polymorphisms with growth and meat-yield in catfish.